Henry Ludington

Henry Ludington
Henry Ludington sketch, circa 1776
Born	(1739-05-25)May 25, 1739 Branford, Connecticut
Died	January 24, 1817(1817-01-24) (aged 77)
Nationality	American
Occupation	Businessman, patriot, Colonel
Known for	Role in American Revolution
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Henry Ludington (May 25, 1739–January 24, 1817) was a businessman that ran a grist mill and owned a substantial size of land in New York state. He founded Ludingtonville, that later became the town of Kent, New York. He was a citizen of Patterson, New York, and was involved with its growth.

Ludington fought in the Seven Years' War and was captain as a commander of a volunteer regiment at the Battle of Ridgefield in American Revolutionary War. Ludington was promoted to Colonel and became an aide-de-camp to General George Washington in providing spies for espionage. He was associated with John Jay in a ring of spies. His daughter Sybil Ludington is well known to historians for her role in the American Revolution in helping the cause for independence by doing a horse ride similar to that done by the patriot Paul Revere in alerting colonial militia to the approach of British forces.

Ludington's descendants have provided his legacy in several states besides New York, including Wisconsin and Michigan. Some became leaders in their own right and others were involved in developing towns.

Ludington's great great grandfather William Ludington (b. 1608) and his wife Ellen (b. 1617) were of English origins. Their places of birth in England are unknown. They were married in England in 1636. A few years later they immigrated to America. William and Ellen moved permanently to Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1640 and raised seven children (one born in England). William and his wife are the founders of the Ludington family in America and many of their descendants are in the Eastern United States. William and Ellen moved to New Haven, Connecticut about 1660. It is recorded by twentieth-century historian Louis S. Patrick that William died in 1663 at East Haven. Sometimes by other historians his death is recorded as happening in 1662. The difference in dating is because of the use the Julian Calendar in the mid-eighteenth century in the Thirteen Colonies in America.